Tag Archives: Networking

Breaking the Ice

Posted by on July 11, 2011 Comments Off
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Sarah Michelby Sarah Michel

Recently a brilliant friend and colleague described to me how she felt attending a professional meeting where she didn’t know anyone sitting around her as being, “awkward and painful,” when she found herself at a loss for how to break the ice with someone she doesn’t know.  Here was someone who has so much to offer anyone lucky enough to engage in conversation with her but her reluctance to initiate interaction caused her to avoid eye contact and retreat inward and miss out on the potential network relationships sitting around her.  These are the people that keep me up at nights.

I have had a life-long fascination with people who have a natural preference for introversion and think that they’re really bad at breaking the ice and talking to people they don’t know.  These people (you know who you are) also think they’re bad at networking, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.  In my experience, they may not work the room and come away with the most business cards but the few people they do meet they will make a meaningful connection with that actually has a high chance of continuing on after the first meeting.  That is how you build a great network – one relationship at a time. Read more »

Zoe Presenter Spotlight: Sarah Michel

Posted by on April 25, 2011 Comments Off
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Sarah Michelby Zoe Training staff

Perfecting Connecting© – what Sarah Michel calls her networking strategies to promote personal and professional success – aptly describes her expertise on the art of intentional connecting. And Sarah should know the power of networking: as a cancer survivor, Sarah’s network helped save her life. And now as a speaker, she shares the lessons she learned from her inspirational journey to motivate her audiences to connect not just for the moment, but for life.

What’s your favorite topic(s) to present on? Why?

NetWORTHing™, which is the new way to network if you want to build social capital in today’s reciprocal business climate.  I teach people how to communicate their value proposition to their network to grow their networth.  I’m all about connecting so my topics are focused on ways to improve your connection to your customers, coworkers (team building), and colleagues.  I’m a certified practitioner with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and help people discover the power in personality differences to encourage innovation, networking, creativity, and problem solving. Read more »

Zoe Presenter Spotlight: Debra Fine

Posted by on March 28, 2011 Comments Off
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Debra Fineby Zoe Training staff

A sought-after expert on conversation skills and business social networking techniques for use at networking events and social functions, Debra Fine’s media appearances include: the Today Show, the Early Show, NPR, CNN, Fox Business News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Men’s Health Magazine.

The formerly shy, tongue-tied “enginerd” is the author of the best-selling book, “The Fine Art of Small Talk.”

What’s your favorite topic(s) to present on? Why?

“The Fine Art of Building Relationships: Face to Face Interactions in an Online World.” Every individual and organization is looking to enhance relationships with potential as well as current clients/customers and gain increased visibility in the marketplace. This may mean making the most of out of networking occasions or simply turning every conversation into an opportunity. In addition, skills offered during my presentations benefit internal relationships with teams, mentors, C-Suite, staff and colleagues. This program is my favorite because it supplies tools that can be instantaneously implemented with immediate rewards. Read more »

Networking with Moxie!

Posted by on December 26, 2010 Comments Off
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Sarah Michelby Sarah Michel

Are you a victim of Network drive-bys?  Have you been assaulted by a business card bombardier who only wanted to sell you something?  Attended one of those “Grab & Gab” and “Tell & Sell” rubber chicken so-called networking events where you left feeling violated?  Well, if you’re like the hundreds of people I talk to every week who have had enough, today I bring good news;  there is a new movement out there shaking things up and redefining what real networking is all about -  The Moxie Exchange.

Networking with Moxie is all about approaching people with a focused determination to help them.  It’s when you have the courage and faith to believe that you can have anything you want in life, if you help others get what they need first. Read more »

Seven Ways to Increase Your Visibility and Credibility

Posted by on March 15, 2010 Comments Off
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Don Cooperby Don Cooper, The Sales Heretic™

With all the attention on social media over the past couple of years, it’s easy to forget that face-to-face networking is still extremely valuable. However, it isn’t enough just to meet people at networking mixers once in a while. People need to really get to know you. And they need to remember you, like you and trust you before they’ll want to do business with you. So try one or more of these tactics to speed that process along.

1. Volunteer
Every organization needs volunteers, and savvy networkers jump at the chance. People will see you in a position of responsibility and service. You also get a chance to showcase your talents and learn new skills.

2. Work the Registration Table
You’ll meet virtually everyone who attends the event. More importantly, they’ll meet you. Read more »

Top 10 for 2010: The Most Requested Training Topics

Posted by on January 25, 2010 Comments Off
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by Ashley Andrus

Well, it’s the time of year for “best of” and “Top 10″ lists, so in honor of the brand new 2010, we thought we’d share a run-down of the most popular training topics our clients are planning for this upcoming year:

1. Behavioral Interviewing
There is nothing more important than hiring the right people. Hiring the right person for the right job provides tremendous organizational benefits by increasing employee productivity, reducing training time, and controlling the high cost of employee turnover—not to mention the positive impact on team morale. You’d think, with double-digit unemployment rates across the country, that it would be easy to hire right now…right? Well, maybe. Read more…

2. Business Writing
Many experts estimate that as much as 90% of human communication comes from non-verbal clues such as voice inflection and body language. In business writing, however, you have only the words to get your meaning across, so the way the writer uses those words becomes more important. Read more »

Tips For Making Small Talk Success

Posted by on January 6, 2010 Comments Off
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Debra Fineby Debra Fine

Stanford University School of Business conducted a study that monitored a group of MBAs 10 years after graduation. What did they learn? That their ability to converse had a huge impact on their success and grade point averages had no bearing whatsoever.

The ability to connect with others through small talk can lead to big things, according to Debra Fine, author of The Fine Art of Small Talk (Hyperion 2005). A former engineer, Fine recalls being so ill at ease at networking events and even the 10 minute coffee break during a meeting that she would hide in the restroom. Now a motivational speaker, Fine believes the ability to develop relationships with people through small talk is an acquired skill.

Fine offers the following tips for starting − and ending conversations:

  • Come up with three things to talk when preparing for a function along with a couple generic questions that will get others talking. If you’ve met the client before, remind yourself of things about her, such as a vacation she was headed to or specifics about her family. Read more »

‘Tis the Season to Connect!

Posted by on December 10, 2009 Comments Off
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Sarah Michelby Sarah Michel

Let’s be honest…this time of the year can be very stressful. Shopping, decorating, addressing greeting cards, hosting and attending parties, mailing gifts, studying for school finals, housing out of town family members and winding down your business for 2009 are all stressful activities. The fact that we’re expected to do them all simultaneously forces me into the fetal position, rocking and sucking my thumb!

How did things get so out of control? The intent of this time of year is to stop momentarily and step off the merry-go-round of life and focus on the people and things in your life that you’re thankful for. Actually letting people know how much you appreciate them, is the best gift you can give someone.

I admire people who have walked away from the commercial focus of this season doing away with the traditional gift orgies that leave most of us in debt this time of year. Many of these creative people I have met have chosen to have family “white elephant gift exchanges” where everyone brings a gag gift, tacky Christmas sweaters or an inexpensive theme gift where the focus is on just being together and having fun. Read more »

89 Seconds to Sales Success for Your Growing Business

Posted by on July 27, 2009 Comments Off
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Mike Faberby Mike Faber

Choosing to work from home as an entrepreneur in the coaching and professional speaking business has been the single most freeing, and terrifying decision of my work career. At first, the “flight from cubicle” life seemed idyllic: I could wake up when I wanted to, pursue exactly what made me happy, and move from the office to home in a matter of seconds. No more battling traffic on the freeway at rush-hour! Reality started to hit as time passed, along with the first and third of every month. Instead of a comforting pay-stub in the mail, all I saw were bills. The cubicle seemed like a prison when I worked at my last company, now it beckoned like a siren’s call. I had to make a choice — get active and engaged in my new career, or start looking for another six-by-eight cube to call home.

By this time, early 2005 for me, I had far too much invested to go back to the cubes. Chances are you do too! A 2000 study* by the US Small Business Association reported that 46 percent of home-based businesses use personal funds for start-up capital! Read more »

It’s Not WHAT You Know…

Posted by on April 27, 2009 Comments Off
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twitter birdby Ashley Andrus

If you’re like most people, you finished that saying with, “…it’s WHO you know.”

That was true for a long time…but in the age of online social networking, it’s more accurate to say, “It’s not who YOU know, it’s who THEY know.” More than ever before, the internet makes it easy to access the networks and circles of influence of the people you know.

As networking expert Sarah Michel explains the equation in today’s market: The value of others + the value you bring to others = your netWORTH (™) . In this economic climate of free-falling 401(k) values, your network has become quite literally your netWORTH (™) . Are you putting social networking tools—especially LinkedIn and Twitter—to work for you?

There’s a catch, though. Too many people forget about the second variable in that equation (the value you bring to others) and focus exclusively on the first (what’s in it for me?) REAL WORLD TIP: The people you’re reaching out to don’t care what’s in it for you—they care about what’s in it for THEM.

Some quick tips on maximizing your efforts so your equation is balanced:  Read more »

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